Free Productivity Turbo

The picture shows an overall view of the high-performance, 5-axis Hermle C 32 U CNC machining centre with a PW 250 pallet changer with storage; the PW 250 setup station is located at the front

Medium-sized company tmv gmbh Metallverarbeitung & Vorrichtungsbau has invested in Hermle 5-axis technology and uses a pallet changer and standard HACS and AFC control software features to ensure effective productivity .

From added value services when milling complex components for the in-house fixture department to added value attributes when machining cubic workpieces set out in the project brief – this is probably the best way to summarise the investment philosophy of the Austrian family-run business tmv gmbh Metallverarbeitung & Vorrichtungsbau from Klaus, 6833. The company was established by Ingo Temel in 2000 and initially focussed on providing machining and manufacturing services to customers across various industry sectors. A growing number of satisfied customers, who profit from tmv's extensive experience in the delivery of high-precision dental technology instruments, equipment and special machines, and a rise in challenging orders, which is testimony to tmv's ability to solve problems with a minimum of fuss, resulted in the company having to expand steadily over the years. Ingo Temel recognised the opportunity to gain a second foothold in the market, and the company subsequently split into two disciplines: fixture construction and machining services. Ingo Temel explains: "The core machining capabilities ensure we are in a strong position to meet the demands of our customers and requirements in terms of quality and timescale for the production of in-house parts for the ever growing special machine and fixture construction sector. The advantage of our dual approach is that the machining equipment and the specialists required for producing the in-house parts can make better use of existing manufacturing capacities for contract manufacturing. Today, we are able to machine turned parts with diameters up to 500 mm and measuring 800 mm in length and milled parts up to 2,000 mm in length. Nonetheless, the focus of our work is centred on the multi-axis complete machining of small and medium-sized workpieces, which means we can cater for batch sizes from single parts to several thousand for our own requirements and for those of our customers from various industry sectors."

The PW 250 pallet changer with storage (rear right) and the setup station (left); there are seven pallets, including the pallets in the working area, in the system that can be loaded with the same or different multiple clamping fixtures and/or workpieces

Greater capacity due to 5-axis technology and high level of automation

tmv currently employs 18 people, fifteen of whom work in CNC production. This is a real family owned and run business. Besides managing director Ingo Temel, who is also the technical director, his wife, Brigitte, is in charge of commercial operations, while their two daughters, Beate and Patricia, both fully trained machinists in CNC milling, are responsible for CNC production and thus for manufacturing mechanical components. The two young women are also the ones who have been chiefly responsible for investments in the machine portfolio and who have been advocating the benefits of the current high-end milling technology - 5-axis/5-sided/complete/simultaneous machining. After thorough evaluation, a decision was taken to purchase a high-performance, 5-axis C 32 U CNC machining centre from Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG in Gosheim, D-78559. The Temels also decided to equip the machining centre with a PW 250 pallet changer due to increasing integrated functionality of workpieces, the resulting complexity of machining and the longer cycle times required for complete machining. It was also hoped the pallet changer would help to minimise idle time and enhance utilisation in two and three shift operation. A highly productive and automated approach for the complete machining of complex workpieces is guaranteed by traverse paths of X = 650, Y = 650 and Z = 500 mm, a ZM 43 additional tool magazine (total of 36 + 43 = 79 HSK A-63 tools), a main spindle with a top speed of 18000 rpm, a 320 mm NC rotary table, a Heidenhain TNC 640 control, a pallet clamping system, and the PW 250 pallet

The additional display at the setup station of the PW 250 pallet changer for quickly capturing and visually monitoring the process sequences and pallet information stored in the HACS

Greater productivity and reliability with HACS and AFC

Combining a C 32 U machining centre with a pallet storage and pallet changer ensures the system can accommodate up to seven 400 x400 mm pallets. Needless to say, they can be loaded with the same or different workpieces and clamping devices, and enable the highly flexible and complete machining of single parts in automatic mode. This is controlled and monitored by the new Hermle Automation Control System (HACS), although this feature is reserved for machines that have been automated with pallet changers. HACS is part of the standard software integrated without additional costs. HACS facilitates production planning, enables priority changes, automatically ranks workpieces in the sequence plan as soon as they are set up, allows you to adapt the sequence plan via drag & drop and additionally incorporates tool planning. Operators can view all the work tasks and relevant work schedules at a glance on the control system display and the setup station display of the PW 250: system overview, work schedules, pallets, tool table, current order status. As mentioned above, HACS is a standard feature just like the remarkable AFC. AFC stands for "Adaptive Feed Control" and automatically controls the feed rate of the TNC control. This depends on the respective spindle output and other process parameters. The advantages are the reduced lead time, manufacturing processes that are easier on the machine and its mechanisms, tool monitoring and longer tool service life.

Picture shows from left to right Patricia Temel, responsible for CNC milling and the production of mechanical parts, Ingo Temel, managing director and technical director, and Brigitte Temel, head of commercial operations, all from tmv gmbh Metallverarbeitung & Vorrichtungsbau, and on the right Florian König, sales manager for Austria/South Tyrol at Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG

The stated goal: Works automatically once switched on!

Florian König, sales manager for Austria/South Tyrol at Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG, explains the integration of HACS and AFC: "The free additional features were proven and tested over 18 months at Hermle's production facility. The results were so good that both the Hermle Automation Control System and the Adaptive Feed Control have been incorporated into the range of existing products and services provided by CNC machining centres automated with pallet changers. This offers users real added value, without having to pay extra costs!". Patricia Temel confirms that this is true: "Our declared goal was and is: Start the machine and let it run automatically! HACS has contributed significantly to this goal, as operation is continuous, irrespective of whether we are producing single parts or small batches of up to 50 pieces. The automation capability is put to good use for second and third shifts of unmanned production at the end of the first manned shift. The HACS can be viewed as the milling management system for SMBs, especially as the included simulation makes it very easy to program, adapt and operate. The HACS and the pallet changer with storage have allowed us, without too much effort, to reduce throughput times, increase output, utilise the machine's full potential and optimise operating performance. And even though we rely on a relatively small workforce, we've still managed to minimise idle time through faster set up in parallel to production time. This not only benefits us but also our customers, and that's what I call a real win-win situation."